I was recently invited to a meeting of Renton airport users who have lost confidence in Renton’s airport management. They are considering forming an airport tenants union, to organize and push back on breath-taking rent increases. One airport business owner reports that the city has asked him to sign onto a 120 percent rent increase, 12 times bigger than what our state legislature said was the maximum a residential landlord could ever increase rent in a single year. Some tenants have said they have been given surprise retroactive rent increases, in which management said they forgot to raise the rent months earlier, and now demand tens of thousands in back rent– similarly to the billing failure that triggered the Landing Gear Works to ultimately move out.
Two years ago many small plane owners in Renton were issued surprise rent increases of 42 – 74%, making their tie-downs and hangars more costly than those at Boeing Field (which has much more infrastructure including two runways).
Crowds depart an evening dance recital at Carco Theatre in October last year. Seven weeks later the theater flooded from a storm the city said was unlikely to reach a flood stage.
Renton’s 300-seat Carco Theatre was flooded in December, after Renton leaders initially downplayed the NOAA forecast that predicted we could see the worst flooding ever (see screenshots below). Nearly a year after the flooding of Carco, nothing has been done to reopen the theater. A local non-profit that leased space from Renton and helped community groups prepare programs for public access TV, Puget Sound Access Television, has also been displaced by the flooding.
Scott Douwes, Tai Chi instructor and member of Renton Arts Commission, leads a Tai Chi walking exercise at the Piazza (next to Legacy Square) in downtown Renton this morning. He holds free one-hour group drop-in sessions every Sunday morning, from 9-10. No experience is necessary.
Renton residents that would like to try Tai Chi walking can enjoy doing so for free in the heart of downtown Renton. Art Commissioner and Tai Chi instructor Scott Douwes has been leading some fun and well-attended sessions every Sunday morning at 9:00. Everyone is welcome to join in, and no experience is necessary.
You can find more information and sign-in in advance at Scott’s website, thesanctuarycommons.org.
You are sure to enjoy Scott’s informative and entertaining teaching style. He brings impressive experience with Tai Chi and physical fitness to these exercises, complimented by his mastery of art, affection for teaching others, and outstanding sense of humor.
Scott’s been a very active member of our Renton community for many years, and has designed beautiful murals and other media for our city in the past. His wife Jennifer is a writer who also manages the office of Renton Historical Society.
Aerodyne Aviation, a Renton pioneering firm in aviation development and the one-time home of airport namesake Clayton Scott, is being pushed from Renton Airport over a rent dispute. This new sign was going to be placed on their building, but it was never installed due to the disagreement.
In a recent blog post I described Renton Airport Management’s false “runway safety” explanation for pushing out Aerodyne Aviation, one of Renton’s oldest aviation research, design and maintenance centers. Today I’m describing Airport leadership’s similarly misleading messaging about the future of the Aerodyne Hangar. Airport property belongs to Renton taxpayers, and the public deserves an honest accounting of how it is being used to benefit our city.
Renton’s Airport management has declared Aerodyne’s Hangar so valuable that they want Aerodyne to pay more than three times the rent that Aerodyne paid for just their land lease last year. They say the Hangar and office complex, built by Aerodyne under their previous lease, has more than tripled the value of the property. But at the same time, paradoxically, the same Airport Management says it wants to tear down the hangar, suggesting it has no value.
Renton Highlands will be getting significantly improved bus connections to Link Light Rail at the end of this month. This will be a very welcome improvement for Renton residents who live near this route. The route has historically only provided commuter express service to Seattle for a few hours each weekday morning and evening, at times that don’t always align with individuals’ work schedules.
The new Metro Route 111 schedule will begin on August 29. The new Route 111 will run 16 hours per day on weekdays, 13 hours per day on Saturday, and 11 hours on Sunday providing connections from Renton Highlands to the Link Light Rail station in South Bellevue. Headways will be 15 minutes on peak weekday hours, and 30 minutes during other times. From the Bellevue station riders can catch the #2 rail line to Seattle, Bellevue or Redmond. They can also transfer to the #1 rail line in Seattle to go to the airport, Federal Way, or Lynnwood.
Renton School District groundskeepers work to re-open the street and sidewalk at 11:00 this morning where a large lower limb of a century-old tree fell down overnight.
Renton School District maintenance specialists were at Kennydale Elementary School this morning working to reopen the street and sidewalk after a landmark tree split and lost a large limb. There was no obvious precipitating cause reported for the tree failure (no extreme wind or impact); but the newly-exposed center of the tree appears rotted and hollow.
It was a sad sight, for the workers as well as the onlookers, since this tree has been part of Kennydale Elementary since the beginning of the school. One of the members of the school district staff said that the tree appears in aerial photos dating back to 1930. Kennydale School was first opened near the tree in 1970. As of this writing I’m not sure of the species of this tree. A friend of mine told me he thinks its a Northern Catalpa tree, and that seems likely to me.
Unfortunately, the open wound of the tree revealed a hollow core and significant rot. The tree is now unbalanced, and with the rotten center it is likely that it will have to come out entirely.
The right through lane of I-405 South in Renton has recently been marked as “Exit Only,” meaning all drivers headed to Tukwila and I-5 must merge into the passing lane. (The far left lane is an HOV lane not open to single occupancy vehicles, and the right lane in this picture is an exit.).
Since it’s completion in 1971, I-405 has always had at least two “through” lanes in Renton: the “right lane” or “slow lane” on the right, and the “passing lane” on the left. Safety shoulders and an HOV lane were added later, but motorists have always had at least two through lanes.
Until this month, when a new sign appeared that sends all through traffic into the passing lane on I-405 South through Renton. The right “through” lane is now clearly marked by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) as an “Exit Only” lane, meaning drivers in this lane are required (by law) to take the exit. But are they in this case? Strangely, the roadbed remains unchanged, and the right lane continues on the freeway mainline as it always has. So are drivers who are heading to I-5, southcenter and the airport really required to merge into the passing lane, or was this just a goof up by the DOT? Unfortunately, the answer may not really matter as much as the fact that drivers are processing this question while they are supposed to be paying close attention to the cars around them, not trying to interpret a new sign that makes little sense.
When about half of the drivers decide they must move left while the other half see no reason to, we have a recipe for confusion, chaos, accidents and road rage. The consensus in my household is that these two signs probably should have been stacked above the far right exit lane, or at least the “Exit Only” arrow should be pointed at the far right exit lane.
If WSDOT really wants for all through drivers on I-405 to move into the passing lane at this point, they should add a new reader sign explaining why such a change is required. They should also launch a public information campaign. Otherwise, they should fix the sign before it causes an accident.
City of Renton leased tie-down spaces and hangars on the east side of Renton Airport, near Cedar River
Dozens of Renton pilots have abruptly learned they must delay their business activities and/or make new summer travel plans. Renton Airport Management just advised tenants in Cedar River Hangars and the Windsock Tie-down area that they won’t be able to access their airplanes for two of the most popular weeks of the summer flying season. The airport has been working on replacing security gates; the work has experienced delays, and has been criticized previously for not being well coordinated with airport users.
Given all the significant disruptions, it seems it would have been appropriate to hold off on the hefty price hikes, and to credit the tenants for the weeks they can’t use the airport.
And tenants deserved more advanced notice of the lack of access to their airplanes and rented property, and more notice of the runway closures. The Airport Management should strive to do better in the future.
“Pathfinder” statue of Clayton Scott standing in front of Renton’s Aerodyne complex where Mr. Scott had his last Renton office. Our airport’s official name is Renton Municipal Airport Clayton Scott Field.
For the third time in two years, a thriving decade’s-old aviation business is being pushed out of Renton Airport unfairly, with Renton airport officials giving fake or grossly misleading rationalizations. The latest falsehood is printed on a letter with the Mayor’s name in the letterhead. It appears to have been contrived by the Airport Manager and Public Works Director, and is easily disproved with a city document. It’s past time for Renton Council to investigate and stop this pattern, and require these city employees to stick to the truth. The continued dishonesty reflects negatively on city government, and leaves many residents wondering if there is a hidden agenda at the airport.
Renton’s Aerodyne hangar and office complex has hosted many thriving aviation business ventures and significant aircraft for 42 years. Clayton Scott, namesake for Renton’s airfield, had an office at Aerodyne. Aerodyne’s long success is linked to its many strong leaders and partners, including some powerhouses in aviation circles. The company and its leaders have promoted aviation in Renton, advanced aerospace research and design, supported aviation education, modeled high standards for aircraft service and maintenance, and demonstrated overall commitment to advancing safety and efficiency in air travel.
On a tour of Aerodyne’s hangar in 2019
But Renton Airport Management now wants Aerodyne’s facilities vacated by next month, to then sit abandoned and producing no aviation activity and revenue, probably for years. This is the path that the former Rainier Flight Services Headquarters, the Landing Gear Works Manufacturing Building, and the Landing Gear Works installation hangars have been on for up to two years and counting.
Aerodyne’s hangar (Photo courtesy of Gary Palmer)
THE PHONEY REASON FOR ENDING AERODYNE’S 42-YEAR LEASE:
Renton Airport Management sent a letter to Aerodyne stating that Aerodyne must leave specifically “to meet runway safety area requirements as they relate to the goals of the Airport Layout Plan.” But this is not true.
Opening day at Renton Skate Park, April 24, 2001; Spirit of Washington Dinner Train in the background. Photo by Randy CormanPhoto from this Sunday’s 25th birthday celebration; Cynthia Burns was and is on Parks Commission and I was on City Council when we authorized and funded Renton Skate Park in the late 1990s.
On Sunday the City of Renton and Gravity Sports hosted a 25th birthday celebration for Renton Skate Park. It was a great skate party with a band and perfect weather, and I caught up with some old friends.
I vividly remember the opening of the skate park in 2001. We located it at the site of the former Henry Moses Pool after determining we would build the new Henry Moses Aquatic Center on the other side of the freeway. Residents had petitioned the Council to build a skate park, and I thought is was a great idea. In time, all of Renton’s officials were on board, and we created one of the best skate parks in the Northwest at that time. In 2000, when I was Council President, we held workshops using clay modeling to enlist public involvement in the design (see the document at the end of the photos). The Skate Park has received steady use ever since.
Residents are asking Council to consider expanding it and potentially building a second park in a covered area under the freeway, and I think these are great ideas.
I posted a few pictures from Sunday’s Skate Park birthday party, and some fun never-before-seen historic photos of the opening of the Skate Park
An amphibious airplane lands at Renton Field at 2:30 on Sunday, thirty minutes after what had originally been announced as a planned 2:00 PM to midnight closure. The closure had been cancelled with a few hours notice. Saturday’s closure had been similarly cancelled the day before.
Renton airport businesses and pilots had been making new plans after learning that the runway at Renton Airport would be closed for ten hours a day, every day from 2:00 PM until midnight. A runway closure is a big deal, and requires rescheduling of everything from flight lessons, to flight-club use rosters, to weekend getaway schedules.
But in the final hours on Saturday, and then again on Sunday, the runway closures were cancelled.
While this could have been good news for anyone suddenly able to adjust their schedule, it’s bad news if they will now be asked to plan for replacement closure days in the future.
It raises doubts about how coordinated the runway closure planning is with the contractors doing the work at the airport.
This excerpt from the FAA NOTAM list last Friday showed runway closures planned though the weekend. On Saturday morning the Saturday closure notice was rescinded but not the Sunday notice. Then on Sunday morning, the Sunday notice was rescinded. It leaves airport operators wondering what will happen in the future.
An anonymous commenter on my blog brought this uncoordinated scheduling to my attention (Thank you Anonymous). After pointing out the on-again off-again closure, the commenter added:
“Business owners are losing revenue at very tough time due to the mismanagement of the contract schedule and poor communication with the airport tenants. Renton Airport management is making it impossible for business owners to operate successfully at Renton Airport. The unreasonable lease terms and cost prohibitive rate increases coupled with mistaken and mismanaged closure schedules make it impossible for Renton Airport tenants including small flight training organizations preparing the next generation of commercial pilots to succeed in business at Renton Airport.”
Renton resident Nancy Quinn is disappointed that a City of Renton contractor covered so much of her front yard with concrete when updating the sidewalks in her neighborhood. She feels that this oversized driveway apron “makes her cute house look unbalanced and out of character with the street. “Unfortunately, the large expanse of concrete appears to slope toward Ms. Quinn’s home, potentially creating a drainage issue where the new concrete intersects her driveway.Prior to the Maplewood Sidewalk rehabilitation project, Ms. Quinn’s home looked like this. She misses the grass and the right-sized driveway that matched her one-car garage on her 90-year old home.
Renton’s Maplewood Glen neighborhood brims with charming mid-century homes populated by many long-time Renton residents. The well-loved and historic neighborhood is near the Cedar River, just off of Maple Valley Highway. Many of its residents are avid gardeners and nature lovers. They were looking forward to getting new sidewalks, but some residents feel they got far too much concrete.
About twenty years ago the City of Renton determined the sidewalks were getting too old in this neighborhood. The City began a multi-phase project to design and build all-new sidewalks.
In 2018 as some of the sidewalks were being updated on the east end of the project, the city received complaints about the unnecessarily wide curb cuts and driveway stubs that were being installed. At least one resident felt the driveways were a mismatch for their homes and took out too much planting space. This resident expressed dismay at the unnecessarily wide “wings” on the oversized driveways that consumed even more planting area. She appealed to the city to make her driveway right-sized. I was still on Renton Council at the time, and I encouraged our then Public Works director to take the resident’s concerns seriously. He did, and the engineers downsized her driveway curb cut while still meeting all ADA sidewalk codes. They saved money on concrete as well.
In 2020, the pandemic put the project on a years-long hold. The project has recently come back, and I and the former Public Works Director have both retired. This time, when residents voiced concerns about unnecessarily oversized driveway cuts, they say the City has dismissed their concerns.
Engineering drawing prepared in September 2025 show the new driveway aprons at Ms. Quinn’s home (Center, designated by circle number 6). Unfortunately she says she was never shown these drawings. The drawings can be viewed here.
One of the residents, Nancy Quinn, filled me in on what she characterized as “very frustrating” exchanges with Renton’s current Public Works leadership, and she provided me with email records on the topic. She’s disappointed with the unnecessarily wide curb cuts and driveway stubs, the oversized driveway wings that cut into the planting strips, and worrisome drainage issues raised by the new design.
Two doors west of Ms. Quinn’s home, a home was given a continuous driveway apron that covers much of the front yard and eliminates the planting strip entirely
The homes at the intersection two doors east of Ms. Quinn’s have a very wide sidewalk. Residents have expressed some concerns about drainage at this location.
I placed a level across the street, sidewalk and gutter to see which way the water would flow. It was very gently sloped off the street onto the driveway, with just a quarter inch deep gutter in between.
This home in Kennydale features a permeable driveway with a right-size curb cut and triangular wings, minimizing runoff. Ms. Quinn said she was told by City Staff that she was not allowed to have a driveway like this. But permeable driveways are specifically encouraged by Renton Municipal Code 4-4-080: “Surfacing treatments that provide increased infiltration opportunities, such as permeable pavements, shall be used where feasible and to the extent required by the Surface Water Design Manual.”
Sidewalks are very desirable for safety but it’s not unusual for a sidewalk project to create concerns for impacted residents. Sidewalk slopes and ramp widths must be carefully engineered to meet ADA accessibility requirements. Achieving these standards can require significant re-grading, particularly in hilly areas. Past sidewalk projects in other parts of town have raised resident concerns about high-centered driveways, loss of auxiliary RV and trailer parking, destruction of prized landscapes, drainage concerns, and other issues. Public Works typically works collaboratively with residents to work through as many of these issues as possible, preferably during the design stage of the project. Lately, it seems that Public Works is not listening to residents.
About 20-30% of the extra concrete poured at Ms. Quinn’s home is due to an apparent change in standards regarding the driveway “wings” that provide turning radius into the driveway. These wings were historically triangular, but the Renton standard appears to have changed in 2014 and the wings became square. The square wings can significantly reduce the planting area on both sides of the driveway, especially if the planting strip is extra wide. I don’t know of an engineering reason for the change, and it seems to me it should be reviewed. I don’t remember being asked to approve this change, and for all I know the change could have been a scrivener’s error in a diagram.
This legacy Renton residential driveway standard shows triangular shaped wings between the curb and the driveway.This 2014 Renton driveway diagram entrance shows square wings between the curb and driveway; this appears to be the standard that was used in the Maplewood Glen neighborhood.Street view looking west with Ms. Quinn’s home on the right, before the sidewalk project (photo from Google Maps)
Street view after the sidewalk project (taken this morning)
I like new sidewalks but this project could have been done with less concrete, better drainage, and more communication with the residents.
Renton Airport users have been making new plans this month as Renton’s only runway is shut down for ten hours every day. Considering we’re at peak summer flying season, and World Cup travelers are already swarming nearby Boeing Field and Seatac Airport, this will undoubtedly be a disruptive closure for many pilots and airport businesses. There will be similar closures August 3-16, and September 8-21.
The closures are scheduled to facilitate repavement of Taxiway Alpha.
I’ve heard that some airport users were not given advance notice about this closure. Notably, it was NOT mentioned in the 38-page airport status presented to Renton City Council on March 9 even though it has a major impact on the 2026 operation of our airport. Below is the notification on the City website. Similar notifications can be found on the FAA website (which recieves inputs from airport managers).
This notification of runway closure posted on the FAA webpage was issued four days before the closure takes effect. Some airport users may not have received any earlier notice. This closure is especially burdensome for operators scheduling activities weeks in advance, as when running flight schools, selling tours, or scheduling flight club airplanes. (Note that 2100 in UTC time shown in the notice is 2:00 PM in Pacific Daylight Time)
My wife Cathy enters the new home of Renton Historical Society and Genealogy Center at 1025 South Third Street, Renton, WA
Renton Historical Society and Genealogy Center has completed their move from Renton Technical College to the historic Snoqualmie Power building they purchased in downtown Renton, across the street from the Renton History Museum. I wrote about their new building purchase in this April blog entry here. My wife and I dropped into their new office for a visit yesterday and were given an update by their friendly and informative Office Manager, Jennifer Douwes.
The Society’s artifacts, photographs and historical documents have been moved into their new location, and are being unpacked and organized. In the near term these are available for research and study. Longer term, the Historical Society will put many of these back on public display, either in the Renton History Museum, their own building, and/or other secure locations that will benefit Renton residents..
Office Manager Jennifer Douwes, right, visits with us in the entry lobby of the new Renton Historical Society headquarters.
Anyone interested in learning more about Renton’s history can visit the Historical Society from 1:00-4:00 PM Tuesday-Friday, or by studying their growing online content and reaching out to them through the contact information on their website at RentonHistory.org.
Rabanco and Republic Services trash containers are double-stacked on flat cars parked next to Renton’s Gene Coulon Park. Trash cars have been stored like this for the past year.
Last November I posted a blog entry about the derelict Park Avenue Buildings, and the comments drifted into discussion of the trash train parked next to Gene Coulon Park. The train is composed of stored trash cars, which Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) has simply parked at the end of the rail line. The end of the line happens to be next to our city’s flagship park ever since BNSF made a deal with the State DOT to close the Eastside Rail Line– the same deal that ended Renton’s Dinner Train.
This once-pristine section of trail is interrupted by views of the parked trash rail cars
For decades Gene Coulon Park has been known for its mile and a half of beautiful public lakefront, which conjures images of sensitive, well-protected shorelines like this.
But since last year, park visitors will be greeted by a trash train a couple hundred feet from Coulon’s shoreline.
First view many Coulon Park visitors get is the trash train stretching along much of the east edge of the park
This trail in Coulon Park is now dominated by the trash cars stored on the nearby railroad track; nearby residents are concerned that the trash cars are bringing rodents and flies
In addition to being unsightly, trash cars bring rodents and flies unless they are steam-cleaned between uses– which they almost certainly are not. I’ve heard from Kennydale residents that report more rodents than they’ve seen in past years, and it is likely that these trash cars are contributing.
Below are my comments and reader comments on this topic from my blog post last fall, which still seem relevant today:
Do we know why Rebanco and Republic are allowed to store their garbage containers on the BNSF track along lake Washington boulevard? They’ve been there for a month and they stink. Thank goodness the weather isn’t too hot right now
So frustrating, isn’t it? Just what our premier Renton Park needs… a garbage train stored next to it. Our Mayor and Council need to push back on this. BNSF is storing these garbage cars here using the argument that they are allowed to store cars anywhere they have a dead-end track, as if Renton planned a freight yard next to Coulon Park. But this is only a dead-end track because BNSF sold-out the Eastside Rail Line for a cash-grab of taxpayer money given to them by the State Department of Transportation over Renton objections. The State DOT and BNSF killed our Dinner Train in the process. The garbage train just adds insult to injury.
Checking the federal presumption situation, as a city we have almost no way of moving these cars directly. We do however have the ability to specify that biologically dangerous situations need to be fixed. If that means the rail cars will be moved, then this is just a happy side effect.
Those stinky garbage containers have been there a lot longer than a month! It’s been all summer. Yes, the mayor and council should push back BNSF, do you think they’ve even contacted anyone in all these months? Our city electeds will cry they’re the victims and nothing can be done because of big bad BNSF. At least TRY, let the community know what is going to be done. Or is this our new normal in Renton? sigh… (What do you want to bet they are gone by the time the FIFA soccer fans arrive??? THAT is the priority of our mayor.)
I guess the best we can hope for is that the World Cup doesn’t get rerouted. That might be the catalyst that gets the city to clean up the blight (and the garbage train)! Maybe we can convince the mayor that the FIFA will be here in January!
Golden hour in Coulon Park as the stored trash train glows in the sunset
Wildlife teems in Coulon Park a couple hundred feet from the parked trash train
I was recently invited to a meeting of Renton airport users who have lost confidence in Renton’s airport management. They are considering forming an airport tenants union, to organize and push back on breath-taking rent increases. One airport business owner reports that the city has asked him to sign onto a 120 percent rent increase, 12 times bigger than what our state legislature said was the maximum a residential landlord could ever increase rent in a single year. Some tenants have said they have been given surprise retroactive rent increases, in which management said they forgot to raise the rent months earlier, and now demand tens of thousands in back rent– similarly to the billing failure that triggered the Landing Gear Works to ultimately move out.
Randy Corman
Ben Johnson
Marcie Palmer
Maggie
